Engine



Nov. 5, 1945.; J. B. BROCKHURST ENGINE Filed Jan. 26, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Nov. 5, 1946 2,410,565 Enema Jes B. Brockhurst, Red, 3 i 1.,

Application January 26, 1943, Serial No. 473,605

8 Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and my improvement is directed partlcu-.

larly to the provision of means whereby the piston power stroke, besides communicating an impulse axally to the crank-shaft through expansion of the compressed gaseous charge, at the same time also communicates further power impulse to the crank-shaft by turbine-like means that rotates the piston during its axial stroke, and gear means intermediate the piston and crank-shaft.

The power of an internal combustion engine may be increased in the above indicated manner in relationto the cylinder displacement, fuel consumption, unit of weight and front area of the engine, in an engine of given size and weight.

Accordingly, the piston may be divided into two superimposed halves, the top half being adapted to rotate upon its vertical axis and drive a connecting-rod geared to the crank-pin, whereby power is delivered to the crank-pin through a gear or perpetual lever having full leverage value throughout the entire 180 of the power stroke to turn the simple lever of the crank-throw and compound the leverage for turning the crankshaft, and a bottom half of the piston adapted toreceive the top end of a tubular connectingrod adapted for driving the crank-shaft through a simple lever of the crank-throw in the usual manner and for housing the inner rotating connecting-rod.

The top end of the tubular connecting-rod is U-shaped to provide oppositely disposed wristpin arms adapted for pivotal engagement with the bottom half of the piston and for the further accommodation of a universal joint carried by the rotating inner connecting-rod to provide concentric pivotal movement with respect to the top end of the said two connecting rods.

The cylindrical face of the top half of the piston is fluted tangentially around the entire circumference to provide vanes at the said face and the flutings extend obliquely downward from the top edge to substantially midway of the upper piston part to an annular opening communicating with an interior chamber adapted in cubic area to accommodate the entire volume of engine charge when such charge is compressed within piston and the inner surface of the cylinder extending from the piston chamber to the cylinder chamber.

Other features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear. r

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front sectional view of a cylinder with its piston and master connecting rod as part 7 of a nine cylinder, air cooled engine.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1A is a front sectional view of a liquid cooled cylinder including a modified form of piston capable of both rotary and axial movement, the piston in this view being at the end of its expansion stroke.

Fig. 2A is a side sectional view of the cylinder of Fig. 1A, with the piston at the end of its compression stroke.

Fig. 3A is a section on the line 3A3A of Fig. 2A, and

Fig. 4A is a detail side view showing one half of the fixed sleeve that ensheathes the connecting-rod.

In Figures 1 to 3 let i indicate a cylinder forming part of a nine-cylinder air-cooled engine, only parts 'of certain remaining cylinders being illustrated in Fig. 1. The piston for said cylinder is shown to be in two parts, whereof the lower part is indicated by the numeral 2 and its upper the said chamber. When the piston is placed in position in the cylinder the said flutings provide passageways between the outer surface of the part by the numeral 8, said upper part carrying piston rings 3a.

used here only to conveniently describe theseelements as they appear in the drawings of the fully illustrated cylinder forming part of the complete engine.

The upper piston part 3, which is separate from the lower part 2, as at x and is adapted to rotate, is hollow to provide a chamber i0 and is divided by an annular gap or slot ii, the divisional units being connected as by a screw stud ii that is threaded into centrally disposed concentric webs I: in the respective units'the connection being integrated by means of welding material ll placed on top of stud l2 within the upper web II to weld said stud and webs together.

Stud I! at its lower end is secured to a yoke it that forms part of a universal joint, with which is engaged thehpper end of a connecting-rod Is that is housed within the tubular connectingrod 1.

Connecting-rod I3 is provided at its lower end with a bevel gear I! that meshes with a bevel gear II on a shaft I 9 which carries at one end a pinion 20 that meshes with a gear 2| carried by the crank-pin 9. The gears ii and is are housed within the hollow portion 8 of tubular connectingsrod 7.

Obviously rotation of upper piston portion 3 will be communicated, through connecting-rod ll, bevel gears I! and I8, pinion 20 and gear 2| to the crank-shaft 22 through crank-pint.

Power to rotate the upper piston part 3 is provided by means for introducing a charge of atmospheric air into the cylinder chamber Illa, compressingsaid charge into chamber id, in- Jecting fuel into the charge as through-an orifice 23 in the cylinder wall when aligned with, slot ii at the point of maximum compression, and then by impingement oi the expanded charge chamber 29 from the skirt as, which latter carries the piston rings 85. The upper piston portion is reinforced by a central web 85 that extends between and connects head 30 and base 32.

Chamber, becomes filled with air during the piston compression stroke through flutes 38 in the piston periphery, as in the structure of Figs.

1' and 2, which air becomes compressed during of liquid fuel for ignition and expansion of the upon angular vanes or flutes 24 formed in the outer peripheral wall of the upper divisional unit 01 piston part 3 It was of course through these flutes 24 that atmospheric air had entered chamber w during the compression stroke after passing through the single valve 25 in its valve-open position (see Fig. 2), into the cylinder during the down or suction stroke of the piston.

The air is so greatly compressed into the piston chamber by the piston moving upwardly in the cylinder that it reaches a temperature of 1000 F. Just before the piston reachesgupper dead centre fuel oil is sprayed into the piston chamber i0 and spontaneously ignited. Power of this explosion is passed to the crank-shaft in the.

following three ways, substantially simultaneously:

1. Through a charge of high velocity escaping I from the piston chamber into the cylinder impinging upon the. oblique vanes. of the piston to rotate the same upon its vertical axis.

2. Through the reactive force exerted downward at the periphery of the piston by it's recoil in starting the expanded charge moving through the flutes upward at high velocity to rotate the piston upon its vertical axis.

- 3. Through a charge of high compression in the cylinder projecting the piston outwardly in the usual well-known manner of a simple reciprocating engine. 7

As more heat units of a given displacement are converted into mechanical energy in an engine of the present type than in a simple engine, the products of combustion are necessarily cooler and less expansive when exhausted into the atmosphere and therefore an engine of the former type is much quieter than an engine of the latter type, which is desirable .in war time aviation.

Now referring to the form of my invention illustrated in Figures 1A to 4A the cylinder 26 is shown as jacketed at 21 and provided with the single valve 28. The piston in this form is in one piece, having an upper portion that comprises a chamber 29, bounded by the piston head 1|, wall 3| and base, said base separating of my invention and that shown in Figs. 1 to 3 is that here the piston is in a single piece and it has a single connecting-rod 39 that extends between a universal joint 40 carried by base 32 and a bevel gear 4|, which latter is in mesh with a bevel gear d2 that is formed on the crank-pin d3, by which means both the rotating and the reciprocating movements of the piston are communicated to the crank-shaft.

A sleeve $41, that is made in two parts, ensheathes connecting-rod 39, said two parts being united as by bolts d5, the cup shaped upper part d6 of said sleeve containing stepped bearing material d! for co-operation with the correspondingly stepped formation of said connecting-rod at its upper portion. The connecting-rod, at its lower end is provided with a two-part, connected shell 48 that revolubly embraces the crank-pin, said sleeve serving as a guide for the connectingrod. 7

While I have herein described and illustrated my invention of combined rotating and reciprocating piston in its application to an internal combustion engine, it may obviously be equally well employed in the operationv of a steamen'gine.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my invention are equally comprehended by the foregoing disclosure.

I claim:

1. In an engine, a cylinder, a piston having an internal chamber of fixed cubical capacity and a crank shaft, means for the introduction of a power medium into said internal chamber, means whereby expansive power introduced within said chamber operates directly to both project and rotate said piston, and respective means for simultaneously app ying both the projecting and rotating piston movements to the rotation of the crank shaft.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, a piston having an internal chamber of fixed cubical capacity and a crank shaft, separate means for'the introduction of power media into said internal chamber, means whereby expansive power generated within said chamber operates directly to both project and rotate said piston, and respective means for simultaneously applying both the projecting and rotating piston movechamber during the compression stroke, means for injecting fuel into said chamber whereby combustion and expansion of the products of combustion, acting on the vanes, serve to rotate said piston, a connecting rod and gear means between the piston and crank shaft co-acting with the piston in its reciprocating and rotating movements to rotate the crank shaft.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder,

inlet and exhaust means for said cylinder, a piston and a crank shaft, said piston provided with an interior chamber, and angular flutes, forming vanes which provide intermediate passageways around the piston, said passageways connecting the cylinder space above the piston with said piston chamber and serving to admit air into said chamber during the compression stroke, means for injecting fuel into said chamber whereby combustion and expansion of the products of com bustion, acting on the vanes, serve to rotatesaid piston, a connecting rod, a crank pin, and gear means respectively on said connecting rod and crank pin whereby the combined rotative and axial movements of said piston are communicated to said crank shaft.

In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, inlet and exhaust means for said cylinder, a piston, a crank shaft, a crank pin therefor, said pis 3 ton provided with an interior chamber, and anular flutes, forming vanes which provide intermfldiate' passageways around said piston, said passageways connecting the cylinder space above I the piston with said piston chamber and servin l to admit air into said chamber during the compression stroke, means for injecting fuelinto said chamber whereby combustion and expansion of the products of combustion, acting on the vanes, serve to rotate saidpiston, a connecting rod and gear means between the piston and crank shaft co-acting with the piston in its reciprocating'and rotating movements to rotate the crank shaft,

and a guide sleeve embracing said connecting rod, said sleeve having a shell that revolubly embraces said crank pin. I

6. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, inlet and exhaust means for said cylinder, a crank shaft, a piston provided with an interior chain-e her, and means for admitting fuel and air into said interior chamber during the compression stroke including means foriniecting fuelthrough the cylinder wall before the end of the compression stroke and helical vanes on the upper part of saidpiston providing intermediate passage ways connecting the cylinder space above the piston with. said piston chamber, whereby combustion and expansion of the resulting products of combustion. acting on the vanes, serve to rotate said piston, a connecting rod and gear means between the piston and crank shaft coacting with the piston in its reciprocating and rotating movements to rotate the crank shaft.

7. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, inlet and exhaust meansfor said cylinder, a crank shaft, a piston provided with an interior chamcombustion, acting on the vanes,- serve to rotate said piston, a connecting rod and gear means between the piston and crank shaft coacting with the piston in its reciprocating and rotating move- 'ments to rotate the crank shaft, and a guide sleeve embracing said connecting rod, said sleeve having a shell that revolubly embraces said crank pin.

8. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, an air inlet and exhaust gas means for said cylinder, a crank shaft, a piston provided with an interior chamber, means for forming a hydrocarbon charge in said chamber during the compression stroke including helical vanes providing intermediate passageways connecting the cylinder space above the piston with the piston chamber, whereby combustion and expansion of the products of combustion during the working stroke,

acting on the vanes, serve to rotate said piston,

and means actuated by the piston in its reciprocating and rotating movements to rotate thecrank shaft including a connecting rod and gear means between the piston and the crank shaft acting together on the crank shaft to rotate the same.

JARES B.'BROC 

